The health consequences of tobacco consumption are known but many people continue to use tobacco products. The addictive properties of tobacco products are largely attributable to the presence of nicotine. In addition to being one of the most addictive substances known, nicotine is also a precursor for a large number of carcinogenic compounds present in tobacco and the body.
There is currently great interest in methods for production of tobacco with decreased levels of noxious, carcinogenic, or addictive substances including tar, nitrosamines, and nicotine. Although researchers have developed several approaches to reduce the nicotine content or the nicotine delivery of tobacco products, many techniques result in a product that has poor taste, fragrance, or smoking properties. Some processes, for example, reduce the nicotine content of tobacco after it has been harvested through microbial enzymatic degradation, chemical treatment, or high pressure extraction. (See U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,557,280; 4,561,452; 4,848,373; 4,183,364; and 4,215,706, all of which are hereby expressly incorporated by reference in their entireties). In view of the foregoing, and notwithstanding the various efforts exemplified in the prior art, there remains a need for tobacco having reduced nicotine and TSNAs and methods of producing such tobacco.